DEstruction vs CONstruction

Well, school is in full swing again and as I look back at the events of the summer, I have come to a conclusion that may seem obvious but also has some significant implications to life in general. Here's how it came about...

When school ended in May, I watched as our maintenance staff swung into action. There was a flurry of activity as they tore things down, moved things out, ripped things up, and just generally made a mess of our beautiful building. At first it was exciting to see all the improvements that were going to be achieved but as the summer wore on, it became very clear that the "tearing things up" took a whole lot less time than the "putting them back." Even though my logically thinking mind told me this was a normal turn of events, the easily frustrated part of my mind told me to panic.

Here's where the life application part kicks in. It sure doesn't take long to tear someone down with just a few critical words but boy, does it ever take a long time to build that same someone back up! It takes more than just a few words--it takes a lot of actions to back them up. What is it they say--it takes 10 compliments to negate one criticism? I think it's more like 100 compliments but maybe that's just me.

Criticism can be constructive or destructive depending on the motivation behind it. It's easy to say we are doing it out of love for the person but whether or not the other person sees it that way is crucial. What kind of a relationship do you have with the individual? It's hard to convince someone of your "loving" motive when your contact with them has been shallow up to this point. Does the person have a reason to truly believe you are speaking out of genuine concern? How much time have you invested in their life prior to the conversation? The answers to these questions will determine whether the person feels attacked or whether they can use the information you are giving them to improve themselves.

As it turned out, everything (well, almost everything) got fixed, put back, and rebuilt before school started. And the building looks amazing but I certainly had my doubts. I guess the moral of this story is not to tear things up (criticize) if you haven't already made a plan (invested your time) to restore it to a state that was better than it started.

Heroes

he·ro

  a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.


The theme this year at school is "Heroes for the Kingdom" and as I was preparing a devotion for the teachers on their first day back, I researched various people who would be considered Christian "heroes," most of them I found in a book called "50 People Every Christian Should Know." I soon began to realize that not one of the people I was reading about would have described themselves using any of the definition stated above. In fact, most would have used words portraying quite the opposite. 


I did however find some common characteristics. Such as:

Mother Teresa

• willing to listen to God's calling on their lives
• willing to make sacrifices (some even the supreme sacrifice of their life)
• not afraid to speak the truth and willing to suffer the consequences when opposed
• willing to make major changes in their lives when convicted by God
• made the study of God's word a priority
• placed a great importance on relationships with others

What struck me though was how seemingly "ordinary" all of these people started out. Some were rich and some were poor but none seemed to be born into greatness. The reason their names are even linked to being "heroes for the kingdom" is because of conscious choices they made throughout their lives. Everyone of them came to a crossroads at some point in their life where the decision had to made, obey God's calling or ignore it.


Looking back on my own life, I can identify my own crossroads. Some I chose wisely and some I did not. Do I consider myself a hero? Certainly not but then neither did any of the spiritual giants I read about. What I have come to realize is that we ALL have opportunities to be a hero. To a young mother who is struggling, to a teenager who is searching for an identity, to a small child who needs someone to care, to the elderly who need to be honored and not forgotten. 


Here's the bottom line--all heroes really do is pay attention to opportunities and situations that God places in their paths and then (and this is the most important part), do something about it! Sounds simple enough, huh? I wonder...in a hundred years, will anyone want to put MY bio in a book of people Christians should know?